Small utility with off-roader looks to entice buyers looking for something more rugged than Escape

Ford has confirmed its “Baby Bronco” small utility vehicle will be based on the new Focus platform, share parts with the Escape, and come with a premium price tag.

The unnamed vehicle will employ “off-road positioning and imagery,” Hau Thai-Tang, executive vice-president of product development told investors in New York on August 8, while an anonymous source told Reuters it will look like Ford’s Bronco from the mid-’60s.

The SUV will be more carlike than the mid-size Bronco Ford will build on the Ranger truck platform for the 2020 year, so while it may look ready to crawl over rocky trails, it’s likely the smaller ute will be better suited to climbing over curbs in mall parking lots.

The interior is likely to be borrowed from Focus, and the four-cylinder engine and eight-speed transmission from the compact car may find its way under the hood, too.

The source told Reuters that Ford wants to debut the “Baby Bronco” next year as a 2020 model.